Drama of Heysel

The drama of the Heysel , occurred the May 29th 1985 with Brussels in Belgium, is one of the most outstanding tragedies related to an event sporting, and which had with the Hooliganisme. It took place at the time of the final of Coupe of Europe of the clubs champions 1984-1985 between the Liverpool Football Club and the Juventus Football Club. Screening grates and a low wall crumbled under the pressure and the weight of supporters, making 39 died and more than 600 wounded.

Atmosphere of before match

Two teams at the top

The final opposes the two football teams more forms some in Europe.

In May 1985, Liverpool FC is the first football team in Europe, victorious of 4 of the 8 last versions of the Coupe of the clubs European champions. Again, they reach the final and seek to defend the acquired title the previous year against the ACE Roma. Once more, they fall vis-a-vis an Italian team.

On its side, the Juventus of Turin gained the season of before the Coupe of Europe of the winners of cut of football. It includes/understands in its rows the major part of Italian holders of the Football world cup of 1982. It also has in Michel Platini one of the best players of Europe, then doubles Ballon of Gold 1983 and 1984 (he will be to it third once consecutively in 1985) and champion of Europe of the nations with the France in 1984.

Earlier in the year, in January, Liverpool went to lose the match outward journey of the Supercoupe d' Europe in Turin, inclining 2-0 against Juventus. Fault of time in the planning of Liverpool, the return match is envisaged after the finale of Heysel.

1984: Liverpool against Ace Roma

The previous year, coincidence, the final between Liverpool FC and the ACE Roma took place with the Stadio Olimpico of Rome. Liverpool gained the title after the meeting of shootings to the goals.

After the match, bands of supporters of Roma attacked those of Liverpool, obliging them to turn back to their hotels. Many fans were attacked, tabassés and wounded. The scandalized Roman press titrated that it was not only one reaction following the defeat, but that the fans of Roma had brought weapons in their cars before the match, in order to use them after the final whistle.

The local radio station of Liverpool Radio City also directly made the experiment of this violence. Whereas many supporters of Liverpool was made attack by the gangs of fans of Roma to the accesses of the stage, the drivers of bus, fearing to be attacked, refused to make assemble the fans of Liverpool in their buses. Many fans who transfer themselves to refuse the access to the buses, found then refuge with the British Ambassade. Nevertheless, a driver went voluntary to take English supporters in its bus through the city, depositing people in their respective hotels. The assembled Police was posted with before and with the back of the bus to protect it. The team of Radio operator City present in the bus interviewed the fans who had been wounded and beaten. This push of violence did not have an echo in England, contrary to the Italy. The only English newspaper to relay information was the daily newspaper of Liverpool The Liverpool Echo , titrating The Ecstasy and the Agony .

At the time, assumptions provided that after the events of Rome in 1984, the English hooligans would put side their competitions at the time of the finale of 1985 and would seek to take their revenge. Rumors existed according to which many the most famous bunches of England seraint over there: MIGS of Luton, Bushwackers de Millwall, ICF of West Ham and Gremlins de Newscastle. It is acquired today that these rumors were false.

May 29th, 1985

This Wednesday evening, more than 60.000 people must attend the finale in the enclosure of the stage of Heysel. The security conditions and of comfort are non-existent, and because of many faults in the control system, several thousands of fans without tickets transformed the enclosure into sardine box.

The platform of the fans of the Reds is separated from famous Bloc Z by No man' S Land of about fifteen meters. Towards 19:10, more than one hour before the programmed beginning of the meeting, the tension between supporters of the two clubs goes up of a notch, resulting initially in insults and jets of various objects. Fans of Liverpool charge in direction with the steps with block Z, which were to be occupied by neutral Belgians but where are many Tifosi Italian. Some gendarmes posted in a corridor of separation between the two groups is quickly overflowed. The essence of the Belgian police force is then outside the stage, but the incidents were unimportant downtown.

Towards 19:20, a hundred English invade the platform of the Italians. It is a catch of platform, typical of the culture Hooligan. Under the push, the Italian-Belgian ones which does not have the practice of these practices reserved until there for British Isles move back and are folded up towards the other end of the platform, causing a Bousculade. In bottom of the steps, doors giving access to the lawn are closed. The police force present on the lawn pushes back even spectators who try to flee by the lawn. The trap is in place. The screening grates and a low wall crumble. Tens of people are trampled and the assessment is heavy: 39 dead on the whole including 34 Italians, 2 Belgians, 2 French and an Irishman.

The tifosi of Juve, Fighters at the head, which follow the events since the opposed platform, then try to invade the ground in order to go in découdre with the English fans. Not frankly peaceful, these Extremists had affixed a giant cover along netting “Reds = Animals”. The Belgian police intervenes and avoids little direct confrontation. An Italian fan exhibe even a gun and points it in direction of the Belgian police officers. Televisions of whole Europe diffuse these images on line. They have a considerable impact, even if decodings which are made by it are often erroneous. The French-speaking Switzerland Télévision had a team of turning in the middle of the action.

Towards 21:30, the captains of the two formations launch a call to the calm one. A few minutes later, the two teams enter on the ground. According to UEFA, a carryforward of the match would have been likely to revive violence. Juventus will override the score of a goal with zero, marked by Michel Platini on Penalty granted for a fault made on Zbigniew Boniek a few five meters with-outside penalty area, which gave the feeling that the match followed a species of " scénario" to avoid the prolongation.

Since the stage of Heysel was renovated and renamed Stade King-Baudouin. Michel Platini always refused to return there.

Belgian justice condemned the responsible authorities heavily to have authorized the behavior of a match in a decayed enclosure. The UEFA puts in the tread in place a whole battery of strict standards with obligation of the sitted places and prohibited during 6 years all the English clubs of participation out of Cuts of Europe (the duration will be finally prolonged at 5 years after new implying incidents of the English supporters at the time of Euro 88 in Germany). Liverpool is interdict of Cut of Europe during 10 years, pains finally reduced at 7 years. It will be necessary however to await the Tragédie of Hillsborough in 1989 to see the installation in England of a coherent policy on the level of safety and comfort of the spectators. In France, it is the drama of Furiani (1992) which pushes the League to make the places sitted obligatory. In Italy, the problem forever really dealt with, and the Italian stages appear today among the least sure of Europe.

See too

Catastrophes which have occurred during a football game

External bonds

Reportage of the French-speaking Switzerland télévison presents in the stage at the time of the drama (site TSR Archives)

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